Distributed RAID Controller I/O Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
As RAID requests increase, the computational overhead on central RAID controllers grows, impairing the performance of computational systems due to the lack of efficient distribution and processing of data across multiple storage devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed RAID system where a RAID master controller coordinates data storage and recovery operations across multiple storage devices, each equipped with a RAID controller, using direct network connections to reduce the load on the central controller by distributing and processing RAID requests in parallel, thereby reducing the number of I/O operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a central RAID controller is used to control all storage devices, then the system structure is simple and easy to manage, but the computational overhead on the central controller increases with more RAID requests, impairing system performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized RAID control function into distributed RAID controllers, with each storage device having its own RAID controller. This segmentation distributes the computational load from a single central controller to multiple independent controllers, reducing the overhead on any single controller while maintaining RAID functionality across the storage array.
2Ease of operation
If RAID requests are processed by a single central controller, then coordination is simplified, but the number of I/O operations increases and processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the RAID controller functionality directly with the storage device, creating an integrated unit. This merging allows the RAID controller to access and process data locally without requiring separate I/O operations to a central controller, thereby reducing the total number of I/O operations and processing time while maintaining coordinated RAID operations across multiple devices.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage system, includes a RAID master controller receiving a RAID request selectively communicating the RAID request to one of a plurality of storage devices, wherein first and second storage devices are directly connected outside a data communication path including the host among the storage devices. The first storage device determines upon receiving the RAID request whether distribution of a RAID sub-request to the second storage device is necessary, such that upon determining that the distribution of a RAID sub-request is necessary, the first RAID controller communicates the RAID sub-request to the second storage device via the direct network connection.